Moscow fire-
fighters continued on 28 August to try to contain a fire that
broke out the previous day in a technical area at the top of
the Ostankino television tower. The top third of the 540-
meter tower, which is the world's second-tallest free-
standing structure, has been completely destroyed, according
to firemen quoted by Ekho Moskvy, and flames and smoke were
reported to be spreading downward to the 120-meter mark on
the morning of 28 August The tower was evacuated shortly
after the blaze began, but several people, including firemen,
trapped in a lift are feared dead. Reuters quoted a spokesman
for Moscow City Hall as saying the fire department may have
violated regulations by using the elevator instead of stairs
after the fire broke out. A zone of 500 meters around the
tower has been cleared, and the head of Moscow's fire
department was quoted as saying it is theoretically possible
that the concrete tower could collapse. JC

...AS PUTIN SAYS LATEST DISASTER HIGHLIGHTS COUNTRY'S PLIGHT

President Vladimir Putin told the cabinet on 28 August that
the Ostankino television tower blaze "highlights what
condition essential facilities, as well as the entire
country, are in," Interfax reported. "Only economic
development will allow us to avoid such calamities in the
future," he added. Media Minister Mikhail Lesin said it will
take two or three days to restore television broadcasts to
Moscow, while months will be needed to renovate the tower.
The fire initially knocked out the broadcasts of national
stations such as Russian Television, ORT, and NTV, but
transmissions to most regions resumed by satellite shortly
after. In Moscow, however, broadcasting remained severely
disrupted on the morning of 28 August. Meanwhile, Moscow
prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation under an
article of the Criminal Code on damage to property through
negligence. JC

'KURSK' CRIMINAL CASE FOCUSES ON COLLISION THEORY?

The
criminal case into the sinking of the "Kursk" nuclear
submarine has been opened under an article of the Criminal
Code dealing with "violations of safety regulations of
railway, air, or water transportation resulting in the death
of two or more people through negligence," Interfax reported
on 26 August, citing unidentified sources from the law
enforcement agencies. According to the news agency, the
government commission examining the cause of the disaster, in
which all 118 crew members died, has concluded that the most
likely reason for the sinking was the "impact resulting from
the submarine's colliding with an unidentified object."
Defense Minister Igor Sergeev had underlined in Astrakhan the
previous day that he still believes the "Kursk" sank after
colliding with a "foreign submarine." He said that Russian
submersible craft are continuing to search in the area of the
disaster for evidence of such a collision. JC

PUTIN HONORS 'KURSK' CREW...

President Putin on 26 August
signed a decree posthumously conferring the "Hero of Russia"
order on the commander of the sunken "Kursk" submarine,
Captain Gennadii Lyachin, and the Order of Courage on all
other crew members. Putin also instructed the government to
erect a memorial to the crew near the Central Russian Armed
Forces Museum. JC

...URGES CREATION OF NAVAL RESCUE CENTERS

The previous day,
Putin urged the creation of rescue centers at the naval bases
of the Baltic, Pacific, Black Sea, and Northern Fleets.
Speaking on Russian television following a meeting with the
president, Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu said the
government still has to work out details of such a plan.
Russian rescue teams were unable to open the hatch of the
"Kursk" and had to wait for a Norwegian-British team to
accomplish that task. Reuters on 25 August quoted Viktor
Zakharov, head of the navy's radiation, chemical, and
biological protection service, as saying that the country's
top sea divers now work on contract for foreign companies. JC

RIGHTS GROUP TO SUE GOVERNMENT OVER 'KURSK' DISASTER

Veronika Marchenko, head of the Mothers' Right group, told
Reuters on 26 August that her group will sue the Russian
government for covering up information on the sinking of the
"Kursk" submarine and for inefficient action. At the same
time, Marchenko said the cases will not begin for several
months, since many relatives of the victims are now
concentrating on recovering the bodies from the sunken
vessel. JC

ZYUGANOV URGES 'NATIONAL SALVATION' PROGRAM

In the wake of
the "Kursk" disaster, Communist Party leader Gennadii
Zyuganov has sent a letter to President Putin and other
senior Russian officials calling for the adoption of "an
extraordinary national salvation program" to reverse the
country's current course, Russian agencies reported on 25
August. Zyuganov called for the reversal of some
privatizations, increased funding for science, education, and
health, improved discipline within the government, new
controls on the media to end "anti-state propaganda," and the
"merciless" suppression of separatist and terrorist forces.
Zyuganov said that if Putin agrees to this program, he will
find the Communists and all "patriotic forces" ready to fully
support him. PG

KASYANOV ARGUES RUSSIA NEEDS ONLY MINIMAL NUMBER OF NUCLEAR
ARMS...

Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov said in Sarov,
Nizhnii Novgorod Oblast, on 25 August that Russia wants to
"scale down" the number of nuclear weapons "to the minimally
allowable point" but that as a great power, it will do
whatever it has to do to maintain "the minimal level of
nuclear arms necessary for Russia." He added that Russia
"must be sure that our facilities are safe," Interfax
reported. In other comments, Kasyanov said that Russia could
provide a place for other countries to send their nuclear
wastes for permanent disposition. Meanwhile, British Foreign
Secretary Robin Cook on 27 August announced that London will
provide some $120 million to fund nuclear safety efforts in
Russia and other post-Soviet states. PG

...SAYS ECONOMY STABLE

Kasyanov also said on 25 August that
Russia's economic and financial situation is stable and
unlikely to deteriorate, Interfax reported on 25 August.
Meanwhile, Russian Central Bank Chairman Viktor Gerashchenko
said that he does not expect the ruble's exchange rate to
vary widely in the near future. He commented that Russia's
economic situation is sufficiently good that Moscow will be
able to honor its domestic and foreign commitments, "even
without a $640 million IMF tranche." PG

GOVERNMENT SUBMITS BALANCED BUDGET TO DUMA

The government on
26 August submitted a balanced 2001 budget to the State Duma,
Russian agencies reported. Deputy Prime Minister Aleksei
Kudrin said the new budget was on the whole "deficit-free,
honest, and realistic." But even before the budget arrived,
some parliamentary deputies proposed increasing spending on
defense (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24 August 2000). And State
Duma speaker Gennadii Seleznev said on 25 August that the
parliament may revise defense spending upward, Interfax
reported. PG

SOVIET-ERA DEBT SWAP ALMOST COMPLETED

Moscow has virtually
completed the swap of Soviet-era debt to the London Club of
creditors for new Russia Eurobonds, Russian agencies reported
on 25 August. More than 99 percent of the debt has now been
rescheduled, with only $300 million not yet swapped. PG

PUTIN TO MEET ARAFAT, BARAK IN NEW YORK

Vasilii Sredin,
Russia's presidential envoy for the Middle East peace
process, said that he expects President Putin to meet with
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister
Ehud Barak, when the three attend the UN Millennium summit in
New York in early September, Interfax reported on 25 August.
Sredin added that as far as he knows, the Palestinian
leadership has not yet made a final decision on whether to
declare independence on 13 September. PG

SERGEEV WORRIED BY ISLAMIC MILITANTS IN CENTRAL ASIA

Defense
Minister Sergeev told his CIS colleagues on 25 August that
Islamic militants "will try to exacerbate the situation in
Central Asia by conducting acts of sabotage and terrorism and
organizing rebellions," Interfax reported. Sergeev said that
there are more than 5,000 gunmen in the ranks of the Islamic
Movement of Uzbekistan, many of whom are in Afghanistan.
Sergeev met with his colleagues from Armenia, Belarus,
Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and
Ukraine during a CIS military exercise in the Astrakhan
region from 21-26 August. PG

MOSCOW SAYS LATVIAN LANGUAGE LAW DISCRIMINATES AGAINST
RUSSIANS

In a statement released on 25 August, the Russian
Foreign Ministry said the Latvian language law discriminates
against ethnic Russians and other minorities living in
Latvia. The ministry noted that Riga continues "to ignore the
demands of a large part of [its] own population as well as
European human rights standards." It added that "we see this
as a result of a number of foreign partners' silent tolerance
of the Latvian authorities discriminatory policy against
national minorities." PG

MOSCOW ATTACKS KOUCHNER ACTION ON KOSOVA ELECTION DATE

Russia's permanent representative to the UN, Sergei Lavrov,
told the Security Council on 25 August that Bernard Kouchner,
the head of the UN mission for the Interim Kosovo
Administration, exceeded his authority by setting a date for
elections there without consulting council members, ITAR-TASS
reported. PG

MORE YUGOSLAV OFFICIALS IN MOSCOW

Yugoslav Foreign Minister
Zivadin Jovanovic met with his Russian counterpart, Igor
Ivanov, in Moscow on 26 August to discuss Kosova, ITAR-TASS
reported. Meanwhile, Yugoslav Telecommunications Minister
Ivan Markovic met with Duma speaker Seleznev in the Russian
capital on 25 August. And Serbian opposition candidate
Voislav Kostunica told Interfax in Moscow the same day that
relations with Russia have always been important to
Yugoslavia and its population. PG

POPULAR SUPPORT FOR CHECHEN WAR CONTINUES TO FALL

Only 50
percent of Russians now support the continuation of the
Russian effort against Chechnya, according to a poll by the
All-Russian Public Opinion Center, Interfax reported on 25
August. That figure is down from 55 percent at the end of
June. Thirty-nine percent of Russians now favor peace talks
with the Chechen fighters, up from 33 percent in June. And 77
percent said they are concerned that President Putin has not
yet managed to end the hostilities there. PG

AUDIT CHAMBER TO EXAMINE CHECHEN WAR FINANCING

After a
meeting with President Putin on 25 August, Audit Chamber head
Sergei Stepashin said that his organization will now examine
the way in which Moscow has financed the war in Chechnya,
Interfax reported. PG

MOSCOW TRACKING FOREIGN AID TO CHECHNYA

Major General
Aleksandr Malinovskii, the head of the Interior Ministry's
international cooperation division, said that Russian
agencies are tracking numerous groups providing assistance to
the Chechen militants as well as monitoring "76 electronic
addresses used by leaders of the Chechen gangs," Interfax
reported on 25 August. PG

MORE CHECHEN FIGHTERS INTERCEPTED IN INGUSHETIA?

Russian
military officials in Chechnya claimed to have trapped a
second convoy of some 180 Chechen fighters and Arab
mercenaries in Ingushetia who were on their way from Georgia
to Chechnya, Interfax reported on 27 August. The spokesmen
said the convoy is surrounded and is being liquidated. A
convoy reportedly en route from Georgia to Chechnya via
Ingushetia was intercepted on 23 August (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 25 August 2000). On 26 August, Lieutenant General
Vladimir Shamanov, deputy commander of the Russian forces in
Chechnya, denied that Russian troops have shelled Ingushetian
territory, Interfax reported. LF

TATARSTAN PRESIDENT URGES MOSCOW, REGIONS TO COOPERATE

Mintimer Shaimiev told Ekho Moskvy on 26 August that creating
a single legal space in Russia would be possible but that it
should be done with respect for the opinions of both Moscow
and the regions, ITAR-TASS reported (see also "End Note"
below). PG

AEROFLOT CASE CONTINUES, INVESTIGATOR SAYS

Aleksandr Filin,
a senior investigator in the Office of the Russian
Prosecutor-General, told Interfax on 25 August that the
investigation into Aeroflot is continuing, despite the
resignation of Nikolai Volkov, who had been responsible for
the case. PG

GOLD, GAS PRODUCTION RISE

Gold production rose 10.4 percent
over the last 12 months, to a three-year high of 125.87 tons,
and is expected to increase another 10-15 percent over the
next 12 months, Natural Resources Minister Boris Yatskevich
told Interfax on 25 August. Meanwhile, the Energy Ministry
announced that Russia produced 340.27 billion cubic meters of
gas in the first seven months of 2000, of which Gazprom
accounted for 307.88 billion cubic meters, the Russian agency
said. PG

FSB SAYS ACCUSED U.S. SPY FIT TO REMAIN IN PRISON

The FSB
told Interfax on 25 August that Edmond Pope, a U.S. citizen
who has been held on charges of espionage since 5 April, is
physically fit to remain in prison, despite appeals by his
wife and the U.S. government to release him on health
grounds, Interfax reported. Since being detained, the Federal
Security Service (FSB) said, Pope has had 10 meetings with
U.S. Embassy representatives, and during these meetings, he
"lodged no complaints or protests against the investigators
at the Lefortovo prison." PG

SS-18 LAUNCH POSTPONED UNTIL SEPTEMBER

Rosaviacosmos has
postponed until September the launch from Baikonur of a
modified SS-18 that is slated to carry two Saudi Arabian, two
Italian, and one Malaysian satellite into orbit, Interfax
reported on 26 August. That decision follows two aborted
countdowns last week. PG

ALCOHOL DEATHS RISE SHARPLY

Russia's National Alcohol
Association told Interfax on 25 August that the number of
Russian citizens who have died from alcohol poisoning
increased by 45.2 percent during the first five months of
2000 as compared with the same period last year. Some 15,823
people died from accidental alcohol poisoning from January to
May 2000, as compared with 10,897 people one year earlier. PG

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT FACTION SEEKS MORE GOVERNMENT POSTS

The
18 members of Kayunutiun (Stability), the second-largest
faction in the parliament, announced on 25 August that they
will demand greater representation in Prime Minister Andranik
Markarian's cabinet in acknowledgement of their continued
support for the government's policies, RFE/RL's Yerevan
bureau reported on 25 August. Kayunutiun representatives will
meet this week with Markarian to discuss that demand.
Observers predict that Markarian, for his part, is seeking
broader support within the parliament in anticipation that
the People's Party of Armenia will eventually quit the
Miasnutiun coalition, of which Markarian's Republican Party
of Armenia is the senior partner (see "RFE/RL Caucasus
Report," Vol. 3, No. 34, 24 August 2000). LF

CONCERN GROWS OVER ARREST OF AZERBAIJANI NEWSPAPER EDITOR

Azerbaijani investigators on 25 August again searched the
editorial offices of "Yeni Musavat," the organ of the
opposition Musavat Party, and examined computers for evidence
connected with the failed 18 August attempt by a Musavat
party member to hijack an Azerbaijani Airlines plane, Turan
reported. Rauf Arifoglu, the editor of "Yeni Musavat," was
arrested on 22 August on suspicion of involvement in the
hijack. Amnesty International, the OSCE's media
representative, international journalists' organizations, and
EU states' ambassadors in Baku have all registered their
concern over his arrest. Also on 25 August, the Prosecutor-
General's Office issued a statement saying that Arifoglu's
arrest was not connected with his journalistic activities.
Investigators have also questioned up to 10 members of the
Musavat party and promised to help them find employment if
they agree to quit the party. LF

AZERBAIJAN TO JOIN CIS AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM

Azerbaijan will
join the CIS air defense system, ITAR-TASS on 26 August
quoted Defense Minister Safar Abiev as saying in Astrakhan.
Abiev was observing the joint exercises undertaken by the
seven CIS states aligned in the common air defense system
(Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia,
Tajikistan, and Ukraine). LF

HOSTAGES RELEASED IN ABKHAZIA

Six Georgians taken hostage in
Abkhazia's Gali Raion on 23 August were released unharmed
three days later as a result of mediation by members of the
UN Observer Mission and the CIS peacekeeping forces, Caucasus
Press reported. The 5,000 lari ($2,050) ransom that the
Abkhaz hostage-takers had initially demanded was not paid.
The brother of the leader of the hostage-takers was recently
killed by Georgian guerrillas. LF

GEORGIAN JOURNALISTS UNION TO BE EVICTED FROM OFFICE?

The
Tbilisi city authorities are attempting to evict the Georgian
Union of Journalists from the offices it rents in the city,
Caucasus Press reported on 25 August, quoting the union's
chairman, Tamaz Bibiluri. LF

EXPLOSION DAMAGES GEORGIAN MONASTERY

A bomb blast during the
night of 26-27 August damaged an iron cross erected by a
religious sect near Mtskheta and blew out windows in a nearby
monastery, Caucasus Press and ITAR-TASS reported.
Transmitters belonging to the Georgian Ministry of
Communications were also damaged. Members of the sect told
police that shortly before the blast, unknown men forced them
into a bus and drove them to a neighboring village. The
Georgian Orthodox Church views the sect with mistrust, and a
criminal investigation into its activities is under way. LF

BUSINESSMAN CLAIMS TO HAVE GIVEN BRIBE TO FORMER KAZAKH
PREMIER

The Prosecutor-General's Office is to investigate a
claim by businessman Grigorii Luchanskii that he gave a $100
million bribe to Akezhan Kazhegeldin, who served as
Kazakhstan's premier from October 1994 until October 1997,
Interfax reported on 25 August. The Kazakh authorities have
accused Kazhegeldin of tax evasion, bribery, and abuse of his
official position. LF

KAZAKH PREMIER MEETS WITH CHINESE DELEGATION

Qasymzhomart
Toqaev met in Astana on 25 August with a visiting delegation
of the Chinese Communist Party to discuss the prospects for
expanding trade and economic relations, RFE/RL's Kazakh
Service reported. Toqaev extended an invitation to Zhu
Rongji, China's State Council premier, to visit Kazakhstan,
according to ITAR-TASS. LF

FOURTH KYRGYZ PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL FAILS LANGUAGE TEST

Batken Oblast Vice Governor Yryslan Toichubekov failed the
mandatory language test for presidential candidates on 25
August, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. He was the fourth
person to do so. Members of the Central Electoral
Commission's Linguistic Commission said that while Toichbekov
speaks Kyrgyz fluently, he cannot write grammatically. Also
on 25 August, a Central Electoral Commission official told
RFE/RL that Professor Kubanychbek Apas cannot register to
contend the poll as he has lived in Moscow for the past 15
years. Apas has twice been jailed while visiting Kyrgyzstan
for criticizing incumbent President Askar Akaev. LF

PENSIONS RAISED IN KYRGYZSTAN

President Akaev issued a
decree on 25 August raising pensions by 20 percent, RFE/RL's
Bishkek bureau reported. The minimum monthly pension for
civilians is now 120 soms (about $2.5) and for retired
military personnel 240 soms. LF

RUSSIAN INTERIOR MINISTER IN TAJIKISTAN

Visiting Dushanbe on
24-25 August, Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Rushailo
discussed with his Tajik counterpart, Khumdin Sharipov, and
President Imomali Rakhmonov the recent fighting between Uzbek
and Kyrgyz government troops and fighters from the banned
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, ITAR-TASS reported. Also
discussed was cooperation to combat drug trafficking and
terrorism. The collegiums of the two ministries held a joint
session on 25 August. LF

TURKMEN PRESIDENT WILL NOT ATTEND UN MILLENNIUM SUMMIT

On
the advice of his doctors, Saparmurat Niyazov will not travel
to New York to attend the UN Millennium Summit, ITAR-TASS
reported on 25 August. Niyazov, who is 60, underwent heart
bypass surgery in 1997 and is rumored also to suffer from
other health problems. LF

POLICE, ISLAMIC MILITANTS CLASH IN EASTERN UZBEKISTAN

One
police officer and eight "bandits" were killed in a shootout
on 25 August in Andijan Oblast, Reuters reported, citing
Uzbek State Television. It was not clear whether the gunmen
were members of the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan,
whose fighters have repeatedly engaged both Uzbek and Kyrgyz
government troops over the past month. On 27 August, General
Bolot Djanuzakov, who is secretary of the Kyrgyz Security
Council, told Interfax that those militants were engaged
primarily in reconnaissance activities. He said Kyrgyz forces
have sealed off their potential escape routes south into
Tajikistan. On 25 August, Defense and Security Ministry
spokesmen in Kazakhstan said special troops have been
deployed on the country's southern border with Uzbekistan and
additional border guard posts are being established. A
spokesman for the Russian Border Guards in Tajikistan said on
26 August that those troops thwarted eight attempts by gunmen
to cross from Afghanistan into southeastern Tajikistan during
the previous week. LF

UZBEKISTAN, CHINA DISCUSS MILITARY COOPERATION

Chinese
Defense Minister Chi Haotian said in Beijing on 24 August,
after talks with an Uzbek delegation headed by Uzbek Defense
Minister Yuri Agzamov, that China plans to intensify military
cooperation with Tashkent, ITAR-TASS reported. Chi said that
Beijing will give Uzbekistan military aid worth 3 million
yuan ($365,000) "as a goodwill gesture," according to
Interfax. The two ministers discussed the recent fighting in
Central Asia between Kyrgyz and Uzbek government troops and
fighters of the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. They
also signed a defense cooperation agreement, the details of
which have not been made public. LF

U.S. AMBASSADOR TO OSCE ARGUES AGAINST SENDING OBSERVERS TO
BELARUSIAN POLLS

David T. Johnson said in a statement last
week that sending international observers to Belarus's 15
October elections "at the urging of a regime that seeks such
observation as a badge of legitimacy would be a mistake."
Johnson noted that the Belarusian government has made no real
progress toward complying with the OSCE's four conditions to
democratize the electoral process. And he called Belarusian
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's recent pledges to undertake
some democratizing measures (see "RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and
Ukraine Report," 15 August 2000) "overdue, inadequate, and
hollow in the absence of meaningful implementation."
According to Johnson, the elections are taking place at a
time of increased political repression and harassment of
journalists, while Lukashenka's announcement of a "period of
peace" comes late and cannot be put to the test by the
opposition or international community. JM

SUPREME COURT REVOKES PRISON TERMS FOR TWO BELARUSIAN
OPPOSITIONISTS

Belarus's Supreme Court on 25 August granted
a request by Social Democratic Party leader Mikalay
Statkevich and Supreme Soviet deputy Valery Shchukin to annul
their prison sentences and send their case to the Minsk City
Court for retrial by a different panel of judges, Belapan
reported. In June, the court handed down Statkevich a two-
year suspended sentence and Shchukin a one-year suspended
sentence for participation in unauthorized street protests
last year. Both politicians are planning to take part in the
15 October legislative elections. Had their appeal been
rejected, they would have ceased to be eligible to run. The
Supreme Court agreed with the defendants that the lower
court's verdict was based on inadmissible evidence and that
their misdemeanors are punishable under the Administrative
Offenses Code rather than the Criminal Code. JM

UKRAINE REPAYS IMF $100 MILLION AHEAD OF SCHEDULE

Ukraine
last week paid a $100 million debt to the IMF ahead of its
repayment schedule, Interfax reported on 25 August. Premier
Viktor Yushchenko commented that the repayment was made
"exclusively with the aim of focusing attention on the
resumption of [the IMF's $2.6 billion loan program.]."
According to Yushchenko, this move is intended "to cut short
discussions around the technique and methodology" of
determining the hard-currency reserves in Ukraine's National
Bank. An international audit ordered by IMF found earlier
this year that the bank had overstated the size of those
reserves in 1997 in reports to the fund (see RFE/RL
Newsline," 9 May 2000). The fund suspended its loan program
to Ukraine in September 1999. JM

UKRAINIAN AUTHORITIES EVACUATE CHILDREN FROM MYSTERY
POISONING AREA

The authorities have evacuated 378 children
from the four villages in Mykolayiv Oblast, whose inhabitants
are suffering from a mysterious form of poisoning (see RFE/RL
Newsline," 24 August 2000), Interfax reported on 27 August.
According to health officials, the poisoning is "non-
infectious and non-allergic." Last week, 71 people from those
villages, including 58 children, remained hospitalized with
symptoms whose cause could not be identified. JM

ESTONIA, NRG SIGN POWER PLANT DEAL

After four years of
talks, the deal to sell a 49 percent stake in Estonia's main
power plants to U.S. company NRG Energy was signed on 25
August. Representatives of NRG, the Estonian government, the
power utility Eesti Energia, and Narva Power Plants signed
the agreement on the basic terms of the sale, as well as a
package of supplemental agreements, including one on an
investment plan. An agreement outlining the procedures for
concluding the sale was also signed, as some minor details
will still need to be cleared, ETA reported. Economics
Minister Mihkel Parnoja said that all supplemental agreements
should be concluded within 12 months and that the transfer of
shares in Narva Power Plants will take place only after all
agreements are concluded. MH

BORDER GUARD HEAD TO RUN ESTONIAN MILITARY?

At a meeting of
the State Defense Council on 27 August, President Lennart
Meri proposed that head of the Border Guards, Rear Admiral
Tarmo Kouts, be named as commander of the defense forces, ETA
reported. The meeting precedes an extraordinary parliamentary
session called for 28 August to discuss the military
leadership crisis, which arose when Meri sacked former
commander Lieutenant General Johannes Kert at the end of
June, following the latter's one-year study leave in the U.S.
At the 27 August meeting, the council decided to support
Kouts for the position once the parliament officially
approves Kert's dismissal and the issue has been discussed by
the parliament's Defense Committee. Opposition parliamentary
deputy Kullo Arjakas told "Eesti Paevaleht" that Kouts did an
excellent job with the Border Guards but has no extensive
military education. MH

U.S. OFFICIAL WARNS RUSSIA OVER INTERFERING IN LITHUANIAN
AFFAIRS

Meeting with Lithuanian parliamentary officials on
25 August, Philip Petersen of the Potomac Foundation advised
Russia to desist from interfering in the domestic affairs of
other countries. "If it turned out that part of the U.S.
financial assistance to Russia could be spent on interference
in the affairs of other countries, there would be a great
scandal at the U.S. Congress," Petersen said, adding that
"representatives of the U.S. Congress are concerned about how
Russia uses U.S. financial assistance." Petersen also urged
the Lithuanian parliament to place more emphasis on defense
spending and hinted that the U.S. Congress sees budget
allocations for defense as a gauge of how serious Lithuania
is in its bid to join NATO. MH

SEVERAL LITAS MILLIONAIRES AMONG LITHUANIA'S TOP GOVERNMENT
OFFICIALS

"Respublika" reported that according to income
declarations filed, there are seven litas millionaires among
Lithuania's top government officials, BNS reported on 25
August. Head of the State Sports Department Rimas
Kurtinaitis, who played professional basketball throughout
Europe, is the richest, having declared 9.68 million litas
($2.42 million). In second place is Economics Minister
Valentinas Milaknis, a former successful businessman (5.05
million litas), followed by parliamentary deputy and head of
the Peasants Party Ramunas Karbauskis (4.87 million litas).
The combined family assets of President Valdas Adamkus ranked
fourth at 2.75 million litas, while the family assets of
Finance Minister Vytautas Dudenas took sixth place at 1.49
million litas. Both Adamkus and Dudenas were long-term
residents of the U.S. MH

POLISH PRESIDENT AIMS TO WIN RE-ELECTION IN FIRST ROUND

The
State Electoral Commission on 25 August registered Aleksander
Kwasniewski as a candidate for the 8 October presidential
ballot, Polish media reported. Kwasniewski said at an
electoral meeting the same day that he wants to win in the
first round. "I am sure I am the only candidate who can set
such a goal," he noted. By the 24 August deadline, the State
Electoral Commission had received at least 100,000 signatures
each from 13 candidates seeking the presidential post. JM

POLISH CATHOLIC CHURCH URGES RECONCILIATION

The Conference
of Bishops of Poland's Roman Catholic Church issued a letter
on 26 August calling the year 2000 a "time of reconciliation
and grace," dpa and AP reported. "We ask forgiveness for
those among us who show disdain for people of other
denominations or tolerate anti-Semitism," the bishops wrote,
adding that "anti-Semitism, just like anti-Christianism, is a
sin." The bishops admitted that while undertaking noble
efforts to save Jews during the Holocaust, Poles also showed
indifference or enmity. "We should also efficiently overcome
all signs of anti-Judaism, which stems from wrong
interpretation of the Church's teaching, and of anti-
Semitism, which is hatred stemming from nationalist or racial
ideas that still exist among Christians," the bishops said.
They noted, however, that anti-Polish sentiments among some
Jewish groups should be "countered with equal determination."
JM

CZECH GOVERNMENT OFFICE SAYS NEWSPAPER INVENTED 'OPERATION
LEAD'...

The Czech Government Office has filed charges
against two reporters for the daily "Mlada fronta Dnes"
accusing them of having invented the "Operation Lead"
document in an effort to discredit the ruling Social
Democrats (CSSD), CTK reported on 28 August. The daily denies
the allegations, according to which the reporters planted the
document on a government computer. "Operation Lead" was an
alleged smear campaign against CSSD member and deputy
chairwoman of the Chamber of Deputies Petra Buzkova. Many
members of the CSSD said at a meeting on 26 August that they
disagree with Premier Milos Zeman's explanation that an
"institution" created "Operation Lead." Zeman added that it
could have been the same "institution" behind the "Bamberg
Affair" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 September 1999. PB

...WHILE CONTROVERSIAL ADVISER RESIGNS

Zdenek Sarapatka,
Zeman's political adviser who told police that another Zeman
adviser, Vratislav Sima, had drawn up the "Operation Lead"
document, called Zeman's hypothesis a "tragicomedy." "If
someone really sees 'spymania' behind it, then it's...an
unwillingness to listen to the truth." He added that he has
resigned and that Zeman did not suspend him, as the premier
had earlier claimed. PB

SLOVAK GOVERNMENT APPROVES BILL LIMITING PARTY MEMBERSHIP

The Slovak cabinet agreed at a special meeting on 25 August
to support a bill that would prohibiting simultaneous
membership in two political parties, CTK reported. The bill
was initiated by the Democratic Left Party and supported by
the opposition Movement for a Democratic Slovakia. Premier
Mikulas Dzurinda said that if passed, it will go into effect
on 1 January 2002, but he added that he is not in favor of
the bill. The legislation would mainly affect Dzurinda's
Slovak Democratic Coalition (SDK) and the Slovak Democratic
and Christian Union (SDKU), which the premier established at
the beginning of this year to become the successor to the
SDK. In other news, the Democratic Union party of Economics
Minister Lubomir Harach voted at a party meeting in Zilina on
26 August to merge with the SDKU. PB

UN COMMITTEE PRAISES, CONDEMNS SLOVAKIA ON ROMANY ISSUES

The
UN Committee Against Racial Discrimination issued a report on
26 August that praised Slovakia for some human rights
improvements but also criticized it for its treatment of
Roma, CTK reported. The committee welcomed the establishment
of the office for human rights, ethnic minorities, and
regional development, as well as the appointment of a
commissioner for Romany affairs. But the UN agency was
concerned about, among other things, the effort to settle
Roma and about decrees issued by the authorities of two
communities barring Roma from living there. PB

ANOTHER HUNGARIAN ROMA LEADER SPEAKS OUT AGAINST EMIGRATION

"The National Gypsy Authority does not support the emigration
of Roma but believes that the problems brought to light by
the present situation [of the Zamoly group seeking political
asylum in France] must be solved," Florian Farkas, the
chairman of the National Gypsy Authority, said on 25 August.
The authority intends to establish an information center to
demonstrate to the West the reasons behind some Romany
families' decision to emigrate, Farkas announced. MSZ

FORMER SERBIAN LEADER 'DISAPPEARS'

Ivan Stambolic, whom
Slobodan Milosevic ousted as Serbian president in 1987,
disappeared while on his daily jog in a park near his
Belgrade home on 25 August. His wife, Kaca, said that there
has been no sign of him since and that no member of the
police has visited the family home, "Vesti" reported on 28
August. Lawyer Nikola Barovic said that neighbors recall
recently seeing an unfamiliar white van parked in front of
Stambolic's home, "Danas" reported. Barovic added that the
silence of the state-run media about Stambolic suggests that
there is a political aspect to his disappearance, RFE/RL's
South Slavic Service reported. The 64-year-old Stambolic was
once Milosevic's political mentor but was ousted by his
former protege during Milosevic's rise to power. Stambolic
then remained aloof from politics for many years but has
recently spoken out against Milosevic and his policies (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 18 May 2000). PM

SERBIAN OPPOSITION CONCERNED OVER STAMBOLIC

The Democratic
Alternative said in a statement on 26 August that the
disappearance of the former Serbian president shows that
"Serbia is sailing in dangerous waters," RFE/RL's South
Slavic Service reported. Democratic Party leader Zoran
Djindjic argued that the incident is indicative of the
lawless political and social climate in Serbia today, "Vesti"
reported on 28 August. The Civic Alliance of Serbia called
the disappearance a "dangerous political event" and appealed
to those responsible to give proof that "Stambolic is still
alive and well." The Serbian Renewal Movement condemned the
"abduction" of the former leader as a "terrorist act" and
demanded his release. PM

KFOR ARRESTS ALBANIAN FOR ASSAULT ON SERBS

Peacekeepers
arrested an ethnic Albanian south of Prishtina on 27 August
in connection with a hit-and-run assault on a group of
Serbian young people, which left one child dead and three
teen-agers injured, Reuters reported. Swedish peacekeepers
said that the man is likely to be charged with vehicular
homicide and drunk driving. The Serbian National Council said
in a statement that the assault was "motivated by ethnic
hatred," but a KFOR spokesman argued that such a conclusion
is premature, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported.
Elsewhere, moderate Serbian leader Father Sava described the
situation in Kosova as being "between chaos and the road to
democracy," "Danas" reported on 28 August. PM

CHINA TO OPEN CONSULATE IN MONTENEGRO

Chinese Deputy Foreign
Minister Liu Guchang said after meeting with Montenegrin
Foreign Minister Branko Lukovac in Podgorica on 25 August
that "we have already assigned a general consul of the
People's Republic of China to Podgorica, and he will soon
start activities for the opening of the consulate," Reuters
reported. Liu told reporters that the consulate "will be very
important for overall relations, regular dialogue and will
contribute to our cooperation." Among the topics he and
Lukovac discussed was the presence of Chinese illegal
migrants in Montenegro (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 25 August
2000). Reuters called the Chinese decision to open the
consulate "a diplomatic blow for Belgrade." Italy, Russia,
Croatia, and Greece currently have consulates in the
Montenegrin capital, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported.
PM

Vice President of the Socialist People's Party
(SNP) Predrag Bulatovic said in Podgorica that the
government's "ban on [official] media coverage" of the 24
September federal elections is "undemocratic," "Danas"
reported on 28 August. In the runup to the election, which
the governing coalition is boycotting, the SNP has demanded a
special session of the parliament on 12 September to discuss
the standard of living, the privatization process, and
related issues. Predrag Popovic, who is deputy speaker of the
parliament, called the demand a "marketing ploy" aimed at
winning votes, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported on 26
August. PM

CROATIAN GOVERNMENT SETS SOCIAL, ECONOMIC PRIORITIES

Government ministers and trade union leaders ended a four-day
meeting at Plitvice Lakes National Park on 27 August with a
pledge by the government to create jobs, RFE/RL's South
Slavic Service reported. Finance Minister Mato Crkvenac said
that there is "no alternative" to job creation. He also
outlined the government's budget plans for the next three
years, as well as its ideas on tax reform, economic
development strategy, and social policy. He added that the
government will freeze wages for ministers and legislators
while ensuring that workers are paid, "Jutarnji list"
reported. The daily quoted three leading economists as saying
that the government will have to increase the annual growth
rate to more than 3 percent if it wants to promote economic
recovery. The daily also noted that labor unrest has plagued
every government since 1990 and that only former Prime
Minister Nikica Valentic succeeded in temporarily placating
the unions, in 1993. PM

FIRES TAKE TOLL IN SOUTHERN CROATIA

Fires continue to
threaten much of southern Croatia and have destroyed half of
the Arboretum in Trsteno, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service
reported on 27 August (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24 August
2000). The authorities closed the Adriatic highway near
Dubrovnik because of the proximity of the blazes. Prime
Minister Ivica Racan said in Split the previous day that he
intends to punish those officials responsible for not taking
adequate preventive measures against fires. He added that
some fires may have been deliberately started by "mentally
disturbed individuals," but he does not think that
"terrorists" are responsible for the blazes. Elsewhere, the
Croatian authorities lent a fire-fighting aircraft to
Montenegro in response to that an appeal by the authorities
there. In particular, the area of the coast between Petrovac
and Rezevici is affected by fires. PM

REPUBLIKA SRPSKA'S FIRST NEW MOSQUE

Some 10,000 Bosnian
Muslims attended a ceremony near Prijedor on 26 August to
dedicate a new mosque. It is the first Islamic religious
building to be constructed in the Republika Srpska since the
1992-1995 conflict. Local officials said, however, that the
reconstruction was "illegal" because the Islamic community
did not obtain the proper legal documents, RFE/RL's South
Slavic Service reported. Muslim religious leaders claim that
some 170 Islamic religious buildings were destroyed during
the conflict, including two historical mosques in Banja Luka
that were registered with UNESCO as cultural properties of
international importance. PM

DEMOCRATIC PARTY NOMINATES PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

At its
congress in Bucharest on 25 August, the junior coalition
Democratic Party (PD) formally nominated chairman and Foreign
Minister Petre Roman as its presidential candidate, Romanian
media reported. Roman told the meeting that his program is
centered on "re-establishing the authority of the state" and
the rule of law. PD deputy chairman and Bucharest Mayor
Traian Basescu harshly attacked Roman's rivals, concluding
his address to the gathering by saying "You're the best,
Petre." Roman, once a close associate of former President Ion
Iliescu and the first prime minister after the 1989 change of
regime, was forced to step down after miners rampaged in the
capital in September 1991. ZsM

TRANSDNIESTER OFFICIAL DISMISSES BROAD AUTONOMY AS SOLUTION

Valery Litkai, the minister of foreign affairs for the
unrecognized Transdniester Republic, said on 25 August that
the building of a "common state" between Moldova and the
breakaway Transdniester region must be based "on two equal
subjects," Infotag reported. Litkai said at a meeting with
the presidium of the region's Union of Industrialists,
Agrarians, and Entrepreneurs in Tiraspol that the "broad
autonomy notion is used practically nowhere any more." He
said Transdniester must "sign with Moldova a constitutional
act to be duly reflected in the two constitutions." Litkai
heads the Transdniester delegation at the Chisinau-Tiraspol
status negotiations. PB

PUTIN SENDS CONGRATULATIONS ON MOLDOVA'S INDEPENDENCE DAY

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated his Moldovan
counterpart, Petru Lucinschi, on the occasion of the former
Soviet republic's day of independence on 27 August, ITAR-TASS
reported. Several ceremonies were held in the capital, but
Infotag reported that there were no military parades. PB

BULGARIA STEPS UP FIGHT AGAINST MONEY-LAUNDERING

Interior
Minister Emanuil Yordanov said in Sofia on 25 August that the
country is intensifying its battle against money-laundering
and other international crimes, Reuters reported. Yordanov's
comments come on the heels of the expulsion of 13 foreign
businessmen from Bulgaria (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25 August
2000). Yordanov said every attempt to launder money in the
country "must be crushed...it is bad for the country's
image." He said Western countries tell him that because of
its geographical location, Bulgaria is well suited as a major
transit country for international crime syndicates. PB

THOUSANDS OF BULGARIAN EMIGRES RETURN FOR CELEBRATION

Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov appealed to thousands of
Bulgarian expatriates and many tens of thousands of others
gathered at the Rhodope Mountain on 26 August to "not be
locked in pessimism," AP reported. Stoyanov had called
Bulgarians living abroad to come to the two-day millennium
celebration held in conjunction with the traditional Rozhen
folk festival. He urged the expats to return to Bulgaria and
told his countrymen not to "lose their faith" in the future.
Some 700,000 Bulgarians are estimated to have left the
country since the fall of communism in 1989. PB

TOWARD A DIVISION OF POWERS

By Paul Goble

Russia can become a genuinely federal state only if
Moscow and the regions agree to divide responsibilities, to
respect the rights of both sides, and to learn from each
other. Otherwise, the country is likely to remain trapped in
a zero-sum game--one in which gains by one side will threaten
the status of the other and in which Moscow's efforts to
recentralize or the regions' bids to achieve independence
could point to disaster.

This was the disturbing message Tatarstan President
Mintimer Shaimiev delivered in media interviews over the
weekend. As he has done for more than a decade, the Tatarstan
leader struck a middle course between those who favor
recentralizing power in Moscow and those who want the regions
and republics to gain ever more authority.

On the one hand, Shaimiev urged the creation of "a
single legal space in Russia," one of the key elements of
Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin's efforts at
recentralizing authority in Moscow. Indeed, the Tatarstan
leader added that he fully approves Putin's plans to use
federal power to implement political and economic reforms in
the country's far-flung regions. Achieving those goals will
be impossible, he said, if central authority remains "weak."

On the other hand, Shaimiev sharply criticized those in
Moscow who "want to rule the regions from the center, like in
old times, when we were dictated to about absurd things like
the percentage of fat in milk and butter we sold." Many
people making that argument, Shaimiev continued, now "call
themselves democrats but in financial and economic matters,
they represent the central planning system at its worst." And
he stressed that his Republic of Tatarstan is now ready,
willing, and able to "increase our autonomy" just as it was
when it declared its sovereignty and independence from Russia
a decade ago.

At one level, Shaimiev's argument represents only the
latest example of his efforts to steer a middle course, to
avoid offending both the powers that be in Moscow and those
in his own republic who are more nationalistically inclined.

But more important, Shaimiev suggested a way out of the
last decade's struggle between Moscow officials who have seen
their power decline and regional leaders who have sought to
grab as much power as they can over as many issues as
possible. Former President Boris Yeltsin initiated that
process by telling the leaders of the federation subjects "to
take as much sovereignty as you can swallow."

In extremely pointed language, the Tatarstan president
argued that both the central government and the regional
authorities must be strengthened, something possible only if
they agree on who is responsible for what rather than
fighting over everything. His words justifying an increase in
power for Tatarstan are striking in this regard: "Now I think
we can increase our autonomy," Shaimiev said, "so that the
federal center can deal with strategic problems only, which
is what it is supposed to do."

If Moscow and the regions can agree to divide
responsibilities rather than fight over power, Shaimiev
argued, both sides can win and the country can benefit.

Moscow will be spared involvement in many local matters
that local officials can more effectively address. And the
central government can also benefit from regional
experiments, such as Tatarstan's law allowing for the private
ownership of land. Indeed, Shaimiev said, he and his fellow
Tatars had expected that Moscow would do that much earlier,
even taking into account Tatarstan's Constitution when the
center drafted its own. "Unfortunately," he added, "this did
not happen."

And the regions will gain as well from this arrangement,
Shaimiev insisted. A single legal space will in fact improve
the economic conditions of all, not by taking money from the
wealthier regions--his own included--but by enlarging the
marketplace.

Shaimiev's proposal thus represents a plan to overcome
one of the most unfortunate features of both the totalitarian
past and the efforts of the past decade to escape from it.

Under Soviet totalitarianism, no higher organization
ever recognized the unique powers and responsibilities of
lower organizations. Instead, each institution in the
hierarchy had the power to overrule those below it. That
frequently meant that decisions were simply bucked up the
line, often to the Politburo of the Communist Party Central
Committee--even when they concerned very specific local
matters. And when Soviet power collapsed, officials at all
levels tried to assume the role of the topmost body in the
new pyramids rather than dividing responsibilities between
themselves and the regions.

Shaimiev has simultaneously identified the problem and
pointed toward a solution. But the political experiences of
both the recent and more distant past make it uncertain that
Russians either in Moscow or in the regions will be able to
follow his lead.